Analysis of “A letter to my mother” by Chenjerai Hove

The purpose of this text, which is a letter from a traveller home to his mother, is to inform her of his experiences on his travels, and is thought and feelings on this. The tone of the letter is largely one of nostalgia and suggestions of homesickness which can be seen in the many contrasting ways he portrays the way of life from his home in Africa to his new home in Norway. However the writer acknowledges that he has learned that travelling is a way to broaden one’s horizons and expand one’s mind so, but looks forward to the day he can return to his roots and share his experiences with his family. The tone of nostalgia is prevalent throughout this text, it even begins with the word ‘Remember’ which suggests that it is going to be a very reflective and personal piece. This is repeated again with reference to ‘memories’ of the way of life the writer has left behind, and the fondness with which he looks back on it. The fond recollections of home which are described in detail such as the way they view the weather, particularly the rain as something which is to be ‘celebrated’ because it ‘gives life to people, plants and animals’. This stands in stark contrast to the way in which Norwegian regard this type of weather. ‘Have not stopped cursing the weather’ shows that they see it as the opposite of the blessing that those who live in Africa see it as. This is again emphasized when the writer treats the type of people who would have cursed the rain in his home as unnatural and evil. These people are a ‘witch who wishes that life should not be brought’, this shows how the local attitudes to the rain could not be more in opposition. This all works to show the writer’s nostalgic view of his home culture and longing to be there, with people he shares the same values with. The writer goes on to talk about the weather conditions of Norway that are new to him and how his inexperience of the ice and snow could possibly lead to real, physical harm. ‘A step on the ice is a potential disaster’, this shows that he could easily fall and cause harm to himself in this new and strange environment, which instantly contrasts with the experienced and graceful Norwegians who have been living in these conditions all their lives. ‘they float on it like Arabs’. The writer also goes on to show how the Norwegian use of the ice for entertainment or sporting purposes is completely alien and almost baffling to him. ‘they even run races and win competitions’ His astonishment is again emphasized by the use of a rhetorical question-‘can you imagine?’, this shows that using something which would be strange and dangerous for him in a competitive manner is bewildering and that he doesn’t quite feel like he fits in yet and that he is so far removed from the culture as to always be an outsider. Further contrasts are shown between the geographical differences of Norway and Africa are introduced by the phrase ‘by the way’ which suggests the writer’s excitement to tell his mother about a novel experience. ‘I forget you have never seen the sea’ this could be taken to be typical of all people of his place of origin, this would be something that they could consider exciting and opening up new ideas to them. This contrasts with the way Norwegian settlements re set out, they are all in coastal areas and gain much of their sustenance from the sea, ‘Norwegians are people of the sea’ and ‘it brings everything they want’, this suggests that while the sea and all it’s bounty are enough to make the local Norwegians happy and content, it does not seem to do so for the author, further alienating him from those round him. This is further emphasized by the Norwegian folk wisdom ‘if you don’t eat fish, like me, you are supposed to be miserable’ . The Norwegians would argue that he is unhappy because he does not eat fish, however the source of his unhappiness is more likely to be his homesickness and desire to be with those he misses. The writer becomes more upbeat towards the end, and begins to describe his thoughts as he looks towards the time when he can return home and share with his mother his experiences and all that he has learned. The use of the verb phrase ‘I hope’ shows that he is looking to that time in the future not with sadness but expectation, that it is something to look forward to. The repetition of the lexical item ‘Maybe’ gives the impression that the writer is uncertain but hopeful, and that he would like nothing more than to be able to return one day. The writer goes on to list the things that he one day hopes to return to do, ‘gaze at the beauty of that African moon’ this suggests that the African moon is unique and perhaps has some magical quality. This suggests that the writer would love to be able to be at home doing these things, but must continue his journey. The writer seems to acknowledge that it may be many years before he is able to return, ‘I may be older, but I will not have given up the idea of being young’ , this suggests that while the writer knows he will be away for years, he will never forget about his homeland and the people he left behind, and will one day return. The use of the lexical item ‘idea’ suggests that the writer considers that it doesn’t matter what age he has reached, as long as he does not feel old in himself then he will not be too old to continue his journey and to continue gaining knowledge. The writer finishes on a positive note, telling his mother how he is determined to carry on his quest to learn and for life experience ‘many streams to the river of knowledge’. This metaphor is describing knowledge as a river, which is constantly flowing, changing and heading somewhere new, just like he was when he left for Norway. The ‘stream’ which flows to the rivers is his path to this knowledge, one that he feels he must continue to travel. The writer is more forceful here than before, having often used the lexical item ‘maybe’ to which showed uncertainty but hopefulness, he now uses the verb phrase ‘ I know’ , this shows his mind has been made up that he shall not give in and come home yet just because he is unhappy. The noun phrase ‘other lads’ refers to his new home in Norway, which could be considered his classroom or learning grounds for his life lessons, but also suggests it could be anywhere in the world due to lands being plural, and that he may move on to somewhere new one day. All in all the writer uses various techniques to show the contrasts of his homeland to his new home, his homesickness and his desire to soldier on, to continue to gain new knowledge and life skills and experience.

Lion’s Creed Essay

Listen good, my children; this is a story of my past, and it takes place when I was a little whelp, like you, in a village in Africa. We might be in chains now, but free your ears of the shackles of slavery and listen closely. This is a tale of a man called Credo, a brave man, a strong man. Once, not so long ago, there were these two men, strong as lions fighting over territory in the savannahs of the African continent, a man called Credo, and a man called Kha’Jin. But this story begins much earlier, when Credo was still a pup: The air was stale and the sun was scorching the earth as clouds of dust hovered over the grassy plains, and besides the squawking noise of various carrion feeders, everything seemed to be at a halt. There, a blood-gorged pit near a small tribal village; in this arena did, by a trial of blood, boys become true men. And one boy in particular has passed his test, a boy lighter than the others, who was adopted by the Zulus as an infant, when a pack of hyena s attacked and most likely killed his parents. I would know, as my father was the one who found him in the savannah, I was but a boy when Credo passed his test, and I was afraid because he was different. But he grew, and as he grew, he honored the tribe by hard work and dedication, the values that would bring him into the ring of blood in which he now stands. There he is covered in blood, shaking from exhaustion, breathing for his life, the young boy, and above him, a grown man with a spear in one hand, and in the other, a shield decorated with a bloody, zebra’s hide. They know each other, at least the boy knows the man. This is a man deemed to be one of the strongest in the village, a man that can lift a whole wildebeest by himself! With a quick thrust at Credo, the man seemed to have secured his victory– or so he thought. The boy leapt to the side like a cougar, passion and fear intermixing in his deep, blue eyes to become the most powerful weapon one can ever hope to yield; as salty sweat ran down his blood and d ust covered face, the will to live helped the boy defeat his enemy. Swinging recklessly, the man stumbled, and the boy, Credo, took this opportunity to win. As he turned, Credo’s tomahawk began to enter the area between the enemy’s shoulderblades. The man’s eyes widened in despair, and he stood motionless for a few, good moments. Then, as if the stone axe took a week to lodge itself into his body, a loud scream decorated the stale silence of the crowd watching around the ring; the man was now on his knees, not ready, but helpless enough to receive the finishing blow. The boy stood over his enemy, snatched the spear out of his hand, and looked him in the eyes. What he saw, was fear–the fear of death; this fear, however, did not stop Credo from taking his place among the tribe. â€Å"Kill or be killed,† echoed through his head†¦ The spear now stood erect in the man’s chest, the dust clouds whizzing by, while everything else remained silent. In the silence, the gravel grinding beneath credo’s footste ps was the only noise. Slowly circling his nearly dead enemy, Credo took his tomahawk into his hands once again. He turned towards the man again, lifted his hands high, so everyone could see them, and as the rays of sunlight enveloped his weapon, he struck downwards with unrelenting force. An unpleasant sound of bones breaking and teeth and skull fragments dropping to the ground like dates, blood gushing faster than the raging Ncandu Falls. Red all over, Credo knew that this was hi’s domain now. But the story begins in his prime; after passing his test, Credo, seeing no point in fighting his, now, own people, turned to the hunt and was recognized by the son of the Chief Kha’Zix, Kha’Jin. The two grew up to be inseparable; they were the two who would bring our tribe to new heights. I remember looking up to their brotherhood, as a boy. The two would come back from a long day of hunting, with large, white grins on their faces as they dragged their catch into the village. I hoped I could be like them one day†¦ Marching out of a amber sunset with food for the tribe. But at the turning of age, when the Zulu chief, Kha’Zix is on his ill with an unknown disease brought in by those white devils from far away lands, a new chief was needed. Credo, who proved himself over and over with his leadership abilities and fiery attitude, has caught the eye of the village elders. Despite most of the tribe not wanting a ‘white devil’ as their leader, Credo was in position to be the next chief. Obsessing with the thrill of the hunt, and proving his village that he was the ultimate hunter, Credo unconsciously ignored the struggle for power as things fell apart. Credo had his eyes set on the greatest honor amongst the Zulu people, mastering the lion’s own game. He intended to use the pelt of the lion as a gift to his chief and father, and at the same time prove his worth. The sun was beating down the Zulu village, as usual, and everyone was busy; some over come with sweat, curved like sickles, hastily picking out ripe yams from the dirty fields, some sitting, with their brows tense, scraping and tanning leather, while others were stringing bows, arguing what traps are best suited for hunting and warfare, as though preparing for war, actually. And as this went on, Credo was further away, in the open fields of South Africa, hunting like a wild cat, prowling through the low brush of the plains of South Africa, sneaking, trying not to make a single branch crackle under his cautious footsteps. Wildebeest was his game today; he needed a large catch as food was scarce those days†¦ He let out a beastly yell as he started running towards the herd, which immediately ran in the opposite direction. This hunter, had no intention of letting his prey loose; he guided one of the smaller calves into an oasis, where he carefully prepared a trap to catch it. Trapped, the beast was dazed, but slowly breaking loose, as the net was not meant to hold down such large animals. He flung his bola at the calf wildebeest’s legs. The bola wrapped around them with a whizzing sound, and moments after, it was helpless, on the ground, yelping. The other wildebeest were long gone by the time Credo was standing dominant above his prey, its tongue out, struggling to stand up and run away, still producing inarticulate sounds, crying for help. Bowing down, Credo unsheathed his jambiya, a curved dagger he ‘confiscated’ from a corpse of a merchant up north near the town of Sofala, east from our village. He looked at the calf one last time, and bathed in its fear; he placed the tip, gently at the left side of the base of its head, his eyes widened, his hand jerked, his roar frightened th e birds around, as he pushed in, and then across, leaving a pool of blood behind as a memory. Bringing the carcass back to the village, Credo is stopped by Kha’Jin, the son of the sickly chief. â€Å"Going back to the village with such a large amount of meat by yourself, are you?† said Kha’Jin as he blocked Creedo’s way with his large body. â€Å"Yes, brother, how are you doing today?† Kha’Jin’s smile was showing now, and they embraced each other with a powerful pat on the back. â€Å"What an odd question to ask someone when their father is dying, and their so called ‘friend’ is next in line.† Smiled Kha’Jin. â€Å"I am†¦ sorry, I did not mean to offend. And, what exactly do you mean ‘next in line,’ next in line for what?† The mood suddenly changed to something less friendly, and you could almost hear Kha’Jin’s brow furrowing. â€Å"Are you serious?! You are to become the next chief, Credo, you are to become what I was destined to! You†¦ you took that away from me, just like you tried to take away my father, but he never favored you, I was always his favourite, because†¦ because I am his real son, and because I am the same like everyone in the village–† Now losing his patience, Credo dropped his prey and a familiar darkness surrounded his head. Credo was alway one to lose his temper quickly; lies and disrespect were ways to make him furious, as he tolerated neither. Credo, in fact, was always favored by the chief, as he did not show great ambition to become chief, but to help his village, even if it meant the most difficult labor. The son, on the other hand, was proving himself worthy to be chief, arrogant enough to think the title will be bestowed upon him no matter what. A thundering fist flew towards Kha’Jin’s face, who was much larger than Credo, physically. Credo was not afraid, he assaulted the chief’s son with great fury before being held back by other village members, who now looked down upon his behavior. â€Å"Who attacks someone in mourning,† we thought. The next day, no one spoke to Credo, and stricken with rage and anguish, Credo attempted something he was not yet ready for. Gathering his weapons, he headed towards the barren plains to the north. Now I know that this was, in fact, the part of Kha’Jin’s plan to get rid of the only thing standing between him and the title of chief. The sun set with a glaring orange tint, and the tribe moved on to the tomorrow as Credo to his demise. The night was young and Credo stupid. He decided to attack the alpha lion by himself, in the dark. Stalking the lion, Credo’s only thoughts were of his timed attack; â€Å"Strike when ready†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He thought. The lion was asleep, and Credo was going to take this chance to best the beast. He was too foolish to remember that lions do not sleep alone. Before he even got close, let alone the chance to pounce, he was jumped by a lioness, which pinned him to the ground and looked at him, baring her teeth, ready to attack. She tore off a fist sized portion of Credo’s muscle with a single rake of her claw, but our hero made up for his lack of insight with his agility; he grabbed some dust into his bleeding fist and flung it, along with his fingers, into the lioness’ right eye. The beast roared, and stumbled away from him. Barely managing to get up, Credo ran for his dear life. He didn’t get too far when he fell and stopped moving. The next morning Credo awoke, and the lushness of a forest surrounded him, he was marveled, yet confused by its beauty, still dazed from the wound the lioness inflicted. He realized: the closest forest to the village is half a day away, and above him stood three large figures, one of which was Kha’Jin. He stood there, his shadow gleaming over Credo, with a wide smirk on his face. â€Å"Awake, ‘brother’? I have good news, and bad news, at least; I decided. I will make you chief. Bad news: You will not be chief of MY village, not while alive.† laughed the man. The men, carrying sticks and stones, took turns savagely beating Credo into a pulp of bloody fury. Bones were cracking and skin was tearing; if he did not die of the sheer pain, he would die of shame later on. Just like a lion will die if his mane is cut off. Laying there broken, defeated, humiliated, the only thoughts that were coming through Credo’s head were that of vengeance and redemption. The young hunter spent two days and two nights whimpering in pain, until he was found by a group of those ‘white devils’ passing through the forest, scouting the area. Unconscious he lay there, as the group approached†¦ Chapter 2: A Fresh Beginning Day 2: After arriving to this new land, me and the royal expedition have decided to explore and get familiar with the environment. Mostly a savannah, this region is dotted with several forests; we are about to examine the one close to our base camp for new species of animals and plants. This hot weather will, most certainly, prove to be difficult to handle in this warm clothing. â€Å"Good Lord, Mary! Look at this poor man, laying over there under that tree!† pointed one of the three soldiers accompanying me. â€Å"Quickly, someone, give that man some help!† No matter how and how much we tried to awaken him, he would not budge, exhausted, beaten and dehydrated, he was in barely any condition to live, let alone open his eyes. If the pain did not kill him, the infections, surely would. Still, it is important to try. We scurried him back to the camp where I treated him with bandages and liniment. Day 5: Miraculously, a few days later, he awoke. He seemed different than the rest of the royal expedition, feral is the word best describing him. He saw, that we seem quite like himself, or so he thought. He was intrigued by our skin color, for some reason; it is fairer than his own, and living amongst the Africans, it must have confused him. With his head lowered, the subject in front of me, Samuel, I will name him, looked around in curiosity. I take it he grew up here, though he looks very British to me. At first frightened by the unknown, this man was willing to set that aside and accept us as family in order to, perhaps, repay the debt of saving his life. Day 246: A long time has passed since we rescued Samuel, and he has, over the course of the last half a year, or so, has proven to be the most fascinating creature ever. His learning abilities are extraordinary, as are his abilities to hunt, learned from the native tribes, I presume. I also note that in such a short time, we have been able to learn much about his former people, as he calls them, as he learned about us. We are now able to communicate, to a certain extent, and Samuel seems to have taken a liking in us, especially myself. Unfortunate this is, indeed. We have received a new mission, it is to use Samuel to find the tribes, and expand the borders of the British, Christian Empire and remove all potential barricades and threats. It pains me to use this man after he has done so much for us, but if the Lord wishes so, it will be done. In the meantime, Samuel still practiced his hunting skills, though this time, with gunpowder and rifles. He finally caught, what he told me to be the most dangerous game in the savannah, the lion. He presented its pelt as a gift, which was in his culture, the greatest honor, for both factions. â€Å"This is thank you, for rescuing me,† stated Credo, on his knees. â€Å"This is most peculiar, Samuel, why†¦ I don’t know what to say! I suppose a thank you is in an order, and you are most certainly welcome. It was only proper of God’s men and women to save their lost brother, I am sure you would have done the same.† I reluctantly took the lion’s pelt. There was a glimmer of hope in Samuel’s eyes, he had found his true family, his own kin. The rest of the colonists made him believe that they meant only the best for the native peoples, and that the only thing they wanted was to spread Christianity and bring peace amongst the tribes. Chapter 3: The Return Foolishly enough, Credo led the colonists to our village, his old home. He was the ambassador of the two factions, not the great hunter I was used to seeing as a young boy. The peacebringer, not the hunter, not the warrior he used to be, and that is what brought him to his knees once again, he was reborn, but he was weak, not strong. He was naive, still; he believed anyone who said they believed him. Even the colonists, the white demons who wanted to purge our land of US! Kha’Jin was now chief of our tribe, and he did not want the rest to find out what he has done to Credo. Credo was managing to convince the tribe to convert to this strange belief, and he was saying how we would be protected from the other tribes and given technology to dominate. We did not need that, we needed Credo, the Great Lion. After one of his preachings, Credo was returning back to the colonist camp with two other soldiers. Kidnapping him, once again, he tied him to a tree in the same forest he was beaten in before. But things were different this time, Credo has matured into a better being, he has learned about the technology of the north and of the power of reason. Unfortunately, that was not at all effective with Kha’Jin, who tried to break Credo once again. Unwilling to suffer defeat once more, by the hand of the unjust, Credo’s animalistic instincts reactivated. The rush of pure adrenaline allowed him to snap the vines as though they were hay, and he leapt onto Kha’Jin, grabbing the first thing he could find, started savagely beating him until there was a bloody pool left on the ground. Meanwhile, in the village, the colonists were displeased with our lack of cooperation, so they decided to use force. One by one, the colonists were slaughtering my people like cattle, in an attempt to make an example. When Credo returned from the forest, still bloody and baring his fangs, the village consisted of two parts. One of which was the old, familiar place he used to call home, and the other a steaming pile of carcasses and stench of his former brethren. Baffled, he snuck into one of the houses still standing to find out the colonists were cleaning the land from the Zulu people. Overcome with anger, not thinking clearly, Credo decided it was time for retribution. Finding his dagger and old clothing, Credo, along with the night, crept into the colonist camp closest to his village, and as he has done before, slaughtered all living things in that camp, but one. He left Mary alive, he owed her his life, and he could not take hers away without taking his own too. With both Kha’Jin and the colonists gone, Credo was appointed the chief of the tribe and quickly regained his reputation in the village through hard work and his ferociousness. He was happy with himself, as he finally proved to everyone that he was the lion, the ultimate predator. Chapter 4: In The End†¦ Day 321: When I woke up in the morning, everyone was gone, and a note was stuck on a spear in the ground, next to my bed, it read: â€Å"Blood for blood, you killed my people, I killed yours. -Samuel Credo† I, the single colonist that survived, Mary, fled back to the port where I came form, grateful for my life, but furious with Credo’s actions. When I went back to the port, I demanded reinforcements and the cleansing of the Zulus, as they have killed the children of the Lord. Soon after, a battalion of one hundred or so royal soldiers marched to the village, and with our superior technological power, destroyed the Zulus, along with Credo, who fought relentlessly until the end.

Poverty across Cultures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poverty across Cultures - Research Paper Example Persons undergoing poverty in Paris during the 1930s and 1990s in the U.S. had a lot of valid things in common as well as major diversifications. And this is because of reasons relating to: The working poor in both Paris and U.S. had minimal access to the healthcare; they both worked long tiresome hours and had antagonistic relationships with their employers (Brown & Orwell, p3). On the other hand, Parisian workers were able to take pride in their work entirely free from the low-wage workers in the U.S. ProofPoverty varies greatly across the population depending on education, age, family arrangements, work profession and place of residence just to mention but a few. Still under the poverty description, the average family of four was measured poor in the year 2013 if its yearly income was below $23,834.   The measure of poverty presently at use was designed 50 years ago and was embraced as the formal U.S. statistical poverty measure in 1969. Apart from the less complicated changes a nd variations in economic prices, the poverty line is still similar to what was designed half a century ago.   A considerate look at Orwell’s Prize Down and Out in Paris and London, we are directed to the way Orwell tries to display the existing poverty he lived through while in Paris and London. Orwell employs the use of an anonymous narrator and through him describes his daily life within the poorer areas of Paris during the 19th century (early 1900s). He talks of the dirt, din, bugs and everything else in details (Brown & Orwell, p3).

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW PRESENTATION PowerPoint

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LAW - PowerPoint Presentation Example It was a major set back to our organization. Luckily, there was no human loss but the material loss was huge. Another major development was the collapse of Indonesian Rupiah which sent the economy into a tailspin. So for our organization, there were major setbacks like only two more studios were in the working condition, employees were scared to come for work, Rupiah had no value, Transportation system had collapsed. The share holders wanted to shift to a new place. But we held to the ground that our employees who had been trained were here. We had to develop even further relationships within the community to harmonize the relationships. Rather following a punishing approach, we took up a more active societal role which was very effective. A long run plan was developed to improve the living condition of the people. With the new government in place, everybody was optimistic. The new government also setup a proglobalisation climate which was very useful for companies like us. Export regulations were eased and restrictions were removed. In this scenario, the effect of Globalution was that there The dependability and the trustworthiness was lost. These effects of Globulation was overcome over a period of time by being committed to our mission. So we continued doing that with more commitment building trust and harmonious relationships with the community. 3. AVERAGE/MOST LIKELY SCENARIO For my company, we have both benefited from globalization and globalution. Because of globalization we are able to market our batiks across the world. Europe being our major market. we have now 7 batik workshops to cater to the tastes of the western customers. The batik cloth is designed for making various garments according to the western fashion trends. We are in the process of achieving our Lexus type desire by having the modern management techniques and cost control and the olive tree need is satisfied by holding to our traditional intricate designs. The creative team travels to remote areas of various islands across the archipelago to collect native designs. also there is an increased desire among the Indonesians to dress up in batiks even for work, the olive tree symbolization. So the local demand and the international demand for our products have increased. 4. ENTREPRENEURSHIP/BEST-CASE SCENARIO In 2004 our company designs won the best Design award in Milan. Our designs were motivated by ethnic creativity. After the announcement of the award, we got recognition and attention from various institutions within the country and across the world. We got German funding of USD 2 million to set up new batik garment factory. The batik cloth produced in our studios will be made into garments in our garment division. For that we had to have international fashion designers who could use batik materials to make trendy dresses instead of just the traditional sarongs and shirts. In a country with the average family income less than USD 200 p.m, it is a great advantage to the community and the country at large. Because of globalization many doors have been opened to us. Also because of globalution, there is an increased realization among the Indonesians and the government to focus on our strengths and to

Response Connections to Current Events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response Connections to Current Events - Essay Example Zakaria goes on to say that, "The Bill of Rights, after all, is a list of things that the government may not do, regardless of the wishes of the majority. Of America's three branches of government, The Supreme Court is headed by nine unelected men and women with life tenure." Zakaria has a point that the men and women in charge of one of America's highest offices must be elected. It is too much to expect the elected representatives to handle offices of the land that count among the best not only in the United States but among the best in the world. At least the election process of these gentlemen and ladies in the United States' Supreme Court must be more broad based that what it is today. Fareed Zakaria quotes specific instances and relates them to the illiberal way they are handled in democratic setup. His favorite democratic setups are the United States and Western Europe. His arguments have their due weight. Too much democracy becomes a punishment rather than a remedy. If democracy has to operate in a liberal environment, then it must per se allow its populace the maximum liberty which also provides security and choice. But Zakaria has said that "the tension between constitutional liberalism and democracy centers on the scope of governmental authority. Constitutional liberalism is about the limitation of power, democracy is about its accumulation and use." The contradiction is clear. Just like there is no such thing like a free lunch, there is such an issue begging notice that democracy is not the glittering gold that it is being offered as. Even in times of election the party offering maximum benefits quite often wins the show. The process of democracy is a tragedy being played out day in and out, and nobody is there to attempt to correct, modify or stop the show. If the process of democracy cannot work in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is a telling commentary about the frailty of democracy as a system (US, UK express concern over terror safe haven in Pak, Afghanistan). Zakaria may not have offered feasible remedies to the malaise. However, he has pointed out anomalies that exist in the most democratic societies in the world. What's more He has pointed out that ironically democracy exists because of these anomalies. Evidence to support my argument First of all, let me make it clear I am not making common cause with Fareed Zakaria. I wish democracy all the best and hope it prospers wherever it exists. But just take a look at what is happening in some of the best democratic countries in the world. Let us take a look at the United States. President Obama and Vice President Biden have the issues of combating employment discrimination, expand hate crimes statutes, end deceptive voting practices, end racial profiling, reduce crime recidivism by providing ex-offender support, eliminate sentencing disparities, and expand use of drug courts (Civil Rights). I do not wish to denigrate the United States.

Money is the Root of Divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Money is the Root of Divorce - Essay Example Rampal even utilizes graphic imagery to illustrate how money disputes occurring regularly in the marriage are almost completely congruent to the frequency of divorce. When partners in a marriage turn toward money to justify their identities, it illustrates that money has significant psychological influence, making concepts such as love, devotion, and mutual gain become superseded by thoughts about money as an imperative. Because of this, money creates evil within marriage and serves as the primary motive for seeking marriage dissolution. Money is often referred to as being a source of power in society. Scientific researchers have identified in numerous studies that individuals who believe they have power are more assertive, self-assured, and respond on impulse (Anderson & Berdahl, 2002; Lammers, Stokel & Stapel, 2010). When one partner in a marriage has a better career or has managed to procure more money than their spouse, they begin developing egocentric behaviors and are less willing to work out minor conflicts. Why is this? Because when one partner is financially stable, they begin to believe that they can simply exit the marriage when minor dissatisfaction arises and not have to be concerned about their well-being. Therefore, only one partner in the marriage tries to work out conflict while the other acts aggressively or tries to avoid reaching conflict resolution. Whether money is actually a power source is not important. What is important is recognizing that money has the ability to change psychological programming and personal value systems, creating a person who performs evil against the spouse with less financial resources. There are some in society, however, that would argue that money does not create evil, arguing that a person would have to be inherently evil in order to demand marriage dissolution.  

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Gladwell, Malcolm Essay - 1

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Gladwell, Malcolm - Essay Example Gladwell talks about the â€Å"storytelling problem† which is essentially a concept that tells how humans develop wrong accounts of their choices and attitudes. Humans create stories unconsciously which support their decisions and actions. I do believe that the state of mind an individual is has a great impact on his/her decision-making skills, and the state of mind is controlled to a large extent by the environment. The author’s process as a writer was generally quite fair. I agree with most of the author’s points, though I slightly disagree occasionally. What I like about it is that the author has attempted to make the audiences realize the impact of the environment on their decisions that they conventionally consider coming entirely from them. This suggests that selection of the right place and the right time are pre-requisites of making a right decision. I find the storytelling problem a little confusing because I personally don’t quite agree that humans tend to develop wrong accounts of their own  behaviors.  

Should Computer Scientists Experiment More Essay

Should Computer Scientists Experiment More - Essay Example The article also states that experimentations can also be helpful to computer scientists if they need to understand other models applicable in the systems. In this regard, computer scientists feel that experimentations in their profession do not add value, but is time consuming and costly2. On the contrary, I think experiments are suitable for computer scientists because it helps them to discover new trends in their profession. This is because experiments do not have to be in the labs or organized settings, but can take place in seminars or workshops3. For instance, before the introduction of new software, computer scientists can model programs for trial basis. I also think experiments can be useful because computer science requires problem solving techniques. Considering this, experiments improve one’s ability to handle difficult situations that might exist when operating a computer application. The article is biased and does not offer the genuine reasons why computer scientists disregard experiments in their

Financial System and Intermediaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial System and Intermediaries - Essay Example Brokerage firms act as agents for their clients in securities transactions at a fee. The brokerage companies offer advice to their clients on the type of securities to invest in capital markets and manage their portfolio activities. The trust companies act as trustees for their clients to manage their funds and estates. The trustee agents advise their clients on opening trust accounts to invest their savings. They also provide investment advice on asset and portfolio management. Barclays Bank advances loans to individuals from deposited money. These loans require security in the form of a property. Interest is charged on the loan. The difference in the lending and deposit rate is the bank’s profit. They include: b) Cash credit: - Advanced to current account holders and other who do not maintain accounts with the bank. It is given against the security of a tangible asset. Interest is charged on the amount withdrawn in excess. The Central Bank acts as the issuer of currency notes and coins that function as the medium of exchange and unit of account in transactions. This helps in monetary policy and determining the amount of money to flow in an economy. The Central Bank functions as a controller of commercial banks in the country. It controls lending and borrowing rates, minimum reserve ratios and discount rates. The Central Bank thus controls inflation levels thus ensuring stability in the

Manipal University Letter Of Recommend Essay Example for Free

Manipal University Letter Of Recommend Essay I am serving as Associate Professor in Department of Computer Science at Manipal University, Jaipur and before that I served for 9 years as a Professor in Department of Information Technology at Poornima College of Engineering. I am glad to hear of his decision to invest in a global academic tenure and am pleased to write this recommendation in support of Nitin’s application for admission to the Graduate Program at your institute. I am well aware of the responsibilities of serving as a recommender and can assure the committee of the authenticity of my statements herein. I have known him for over 4 years and have come to know him quite closely in my capacity as his professor and project guide. I taught him his related courses: Open Source Technology, Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Datamining and Warehousing, Computer Networks and Information Protection and Security. I have also supervised him in laboratory and seminar work. Nitin has shown a great interest in my class from day one and has convinced me of a deep interest in the field of Networking and Security. I have had the opportunity to guide him over the period of one year in his main research interests. He has been uniquely inquisitive about the Linux Systems deployed in practice and of late has shown great interest in Network and Security Administration. He has given a seminar on Ethical Hacking to his peers and is now a Certified Ethical Hacker. He and his team developed a Software Application named â€Å" Spithra â€Å" through which you can run some windows program like Notepad++, VLC, Counter Strike game, Web Browser in Linux. As the project relies heavily on the use of Linux Essentials, Nitin painstakingly got conversant in its use. He is very regular and punctual in submitting his assignments. He is systematic and assiduous in his approach. He does not hesitate to seek clarification, which helps him in a clear understanding of the logic and the concepts. In fact some of his questions set me thinking and this helped me to learn in the process. He is an unobtrusive, silent performer and wears his attributes well. He enjoys an excellent reputation and has earned the respect of his teachers and peers alike. He is very articulate and this enables him to interact well and to participate in various activities, including teaching and research. Nitin proved himself at every point of the program he was pursuing and was definitely an asset to our institution. His pleasant disposition enables him to work productively in teams and convinces me of his ability to groom as a researcher. I think that his zeal for learning and his perseverance as well as his industriousness amply qualify him for graduate studies. In summation I would say Nitin is an appropriate candidate for this program and will contribute energetically to both the cultural and academic environment there. An opportunity to undertake Master’s Program will definitely enhance the candidate’s profile and open up for him the kind of research platforms that he is ideally suited for. I therefore request a favorable review of his candidature and also financial assistance for him so that he is facilitated in his efforts. I recommend Nitin without any reservations and request the Admission Committee to review his application favorably. Dr. Sumit Srivastava Associate Professor, Deptt. of Computer Science Manipal University, Jaipur sumit. [emailprotected] com.

Situational And Pestel Analysis At Bp Commerce Essay

Situational And Pestel Analysis At Bp Commerce Essay Kotler (1998) stated that PESTEL analysis is a strategic tool to analyse the present market condition of a business, understanding market growth or decline, potential and direction for operations. According to porter (1985) PESTEL ensures that companys performance is aligned positively with the powerful forces of change that are affecting business environment. Jobber, (2006), Source:google images 2010 Political factor plays a major role in any organizations business expansion in new markets. The political condition of the country, region or the market has direct effect on the companys outcome there. UK government policy changing from time to time. Recently the UK governments have increased the import tax by 3% (Data monitor 2010) which is affecting the offshore oil industry in UK. For example, the North Sea industry has been facing major challenges. UK government policy changing from time to time. The new conservative government change several policies after post election to the oil and gas industry such as petroleum revenue tax (PRT) at 50% on the top of corporation tax if the business established before 1993. (Source: http://social.decomworld.com/industry-insight/post-election-outlook-north-sea-oil-and-prt on 17th Dec 2010) Economic factors According to Thompson (2002) economic conditions impinge on how easy or difficult it is to be successful and profitable at any time because they affect both capital availability and cost, and demand. Supply of money has adverse effect on UK economy. The economy has recently come out of the recession, so all the banks are trying to avoid funding in higher resources. For instance most of oil industry projects are stopped due to insufficient supply of fund.Higher inflation and recession has major effects on people income. Instead of using own transport, common people will be travelling in public transport which will have effect on oil industry sale. (Mintzberg et al. 2009) Sociocultural factors The social environment demonstrates demand and tastes, which changes with fashion and disposable income which can provide both opportunities and threats for particular companies According to recent census report the population of the UK will increase in the near future due to high immigrant rates and ageing population. Further investigation analyzed the population structure and energy consumption in UK  has gone down nearly 20% due to ageing population which will have a major impact to the oil and gas industry in the UK especially BP because of larger market share. ( Souce :  http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=6303  . Article: population trends 140 summer 2010 ) ( Source :  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11514248  Ã‚  .   published: 12 October 2010 ) Technological At present time Technology plays a major role in almost every organization to gain sustainable competitive advantage from its competitors. UK oil and gas industry is going through very challenging environment due to innovative technologies to gain maximum resources. The best example is that of North Sea to recover oil from complex resources by utilizing innovative techniques. New technology is the key aspects of innovative resources. The government is spending on alternative energy technologies (AETs) are analysed important factors of new development and organizational categories. Environment Refining and operation process required large amount of chemicals and finally extraction of gas and petroleum produce air pollution. In addition to these several hazardous products released in oil and gas industry as waste which are associated with environmental risk factors. The UK Environmental Management System (EMS) is associated with different law relate to oil and gas operation in a specific location to control the risk factors. (Source: http://www.oilandgasuk.co.uk/knowledgecentre/environment.cfm on 18th Dec 2010) (Source: http://www.oilandgasforum.net/management/regula/ukprof.htm on 18th Dec 2010) Legal Factor Health and safety is the major concern with the people linked with oil industry. UK health and safety policy is regulated by the government which helps to protect the personal health of the workers in oil exploration, drilling, distribution, consumer disposal and industrial factors. Product safety is another important factor in oil and gas industry, because the leakage of resources from the outlet can create havoc impact on the environment. The legislation is concerned with the raw materials or formulates products. The UK government considers to vital information to find the volatility risk factors concerned with products and materials. Evaluation of risk associated with oil and gas industry are analyzed with special measures in future. Best example BP need to face major consequences during oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, BC News 22 August, 2010 Oil and gas industry has to improve safety of workers on offshore because of big rise in injuries and other serious incidents. The average number of injuries for the previous five years was 42. (Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-11059986 accessed on 16th Dec 2010) (Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/guidance/entrants.pdf accessed on 16th Dec 2010) (Source:http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9032686HYPERLINK http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9032686contentId=7059968HYPERLINK http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9032686contentId=7059968contentId=7059968 accessed on 18th Dec 2010) BP SWOT ANALYSIS Globalization is changing the face of the business world at present time. Companies operate in a very difficult environment and face numerous challenges when competing in global markets. Now a days managing global operations requires knowledge about various strategies and intercultural skills and that expand beyond traditional management principles and techniques. SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities and threats of an organization. The key to a SWOT analysis is identifying the internal and external factors which are important to achieve the goals of the organization. The internal factors include strengths and weaknesses of the organization and the external factors are the opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis is popular among the managers for its simplicity as a planning tool and its flexibility to adapt in any situation or project. The strengths and weaknesses of a company depend on its internal elements like resources, operational programs, and departments like sales, marketing and distribution. An opportunity is a attractive condition which can be exploited to strengthen a strategic position, such as increasing demand for a new product. A threat is a condition which creates uncertainties which damage an organizations performance and market share. BP is known as giant in oil industry and spread its business geographically. The organization has huge Market Capitalization worldwide due to this the company has significant bargaining and domination power. But still the organization needs to face some consequences, which can be analyzed on SWOT factors. Source 🙠 International strategic management 2010) Strengths Weaknesses Leading Market Position and Major capitalization Vertically incorporated operations Broad global existence Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Outburst in the Texas plant Destruction of tax law in turkey Opportunities Threats Purchase of Devon Energys resources in Brazil, US deep water gulf of Mexico and Azerbaijan. Acquired new project on oil and gas exploration. Diversifying investment in the alternative energy business and others resources. Diffusion of assets in North Sea. Volatility in some oil producing region. Environmental safety policy Major risk involved in exploring and production oil and gas activities Threat of a acquiring by other competitors. (Datamonitor 2010) Strengths Leading market position BP is one of the largest Petrol manufacturing companies in the global world and occupied largest market share in term of capitalization. The main clients of BP are Aviations, Military and general airlines sectors and marine industry. Vertically Incorporated position BP operational strategy for oil business divided into two segments mainly: refining and marketing; and production and oil services. They are broadly classified into three categories; upper-stream operation deals which includes gas exploration and field development. Lower stream operation consists of refineries and marketing network and the middle-stream operation associated with six factors: processing, management and ownership, natural gas pipelines, export terminals, NGL extraction and transportation to their consumers.Thus, their vertically incorporated position gives competitive advantages in the oil industry. Broad Global Existence The organization has very large number of consumer base worldwide. Their existence is in more than 80 countries in geographical market. (Euromonitor 2009) Weaknesses Disaster occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, Texas plant and Tax law in Turkey: The disaster occurs in the Gulf of Mexico and Texas plant in 2010 and in 2005 due to drilling and exploration of oil well and careless risk management and planning. The exploration causes huge damage to the US environment. This effect the BP brand image and cost them too much which may affect the BPs profit margin. (Datamonitor 2010) Opportunities Acquiring New Assets: BP acquired several assets around the world. The new asset acquired by BP in 2010 includes Devon Energys in Brazil, Azerbaijan and US deep water Gulf of Mexico. These provide the organization significant long term growth and also emphasize company operational strengths and key interest around the world. Acquired new projects on oil and gas exploration: BP has explored many new projects in the FY 2009. For example Angola and Sonangol announced Oberion Oil discovery, Tiber prospect in deep water Gulf of Mexico discovery Tebe oil projects and many more. The discovery of new projects will enhance the BP production in future.(Mintel 2009) Diversification of Investment into alternate Business: BP has diversified some of their investment in alternate business like solar and wind in FY 2009. The intervention of low carbon energy and bio-fuel technology will maximize the company profits and create a brand image in friendlier environment. Threats Environmental risk and Risk involved in Exploration, Diffusion of North Sea, Volatility in oil region and acquiring business by competitors: There are many risk associated with BP oil industry. Environment and exploration damages in Gulf of Mexico, Texas and Turkey are some better examples, which may affect the brand image as well as operational cost to the organization. To summarize the SWOT analysis provides the basic framework to appraise an organizations internal and external position in its environment including their potential impact on performance. Porters strategy Porters 5 forces analysis deals with the factors happening in the external environment which have direct link with the internal environment of an organization. Porters competitive forces model consists of five forces which has a direct impact on an organizations performance in the business market. Source:google images 2010 Threat of entry The threat of new entrants is usually based on the market entry barriers. In the renewable energy market the threat of new player entering the market is low comparable to other sectors. Also the favorable government policies for existing competitors Creates barriers for a new comer in the market Threat of substitutes The threat of substitution depend on the switching costs i.e., the costs in the areas such as redevelopment costs which takes place when a customer changes preferences or get interested in other similar products. Its difficult to predict the end of fossil fuel domination. So as for now only fossil fuels pose as a significant replacement to renewable energy. Rivalry among existing competitors Basically all the major oil firms know the fact that fossil fuels will be destroyed sooner or later following which the alternative energy will become the way of the future. So all the companies invest their capital in developing alternative energy to position themselves early in new markets and also strengthen their position in existing markets. Bargaining power of the customers Buyer power is a very important horizontal force which influences the misuse of the value created by a trade. The volume and the application of customers are the two most important determinants of buyer power.   Supplier Power Supplier power is a direct reflection of the buyer power. By utilizing its vast capital and technological knowhow BP has developed its own internals supply network in every country it operates. Source: http://www.seattlesynergy.com/documents/BeyondPetroleum.pdf accessed on 20th Dec 2010 Source: http://university-essays.tripod.com/porters_5_forces_analysis.html,accessed on 20th Dec 2010 Marketing mix McCarthy developed the idea of marketing mix 40 years ago. Marketing mix can be defined as the levels and relationship of the fundamentals of a products or services marketing efforts, including product features, pricing, packaging, advertising, merchandising, distribution, and marketing budget which directly affects the sales results. It consists of four components- product, price, place, promotion. Source:google images 2010 Price Pricing is a very complex area. Generally consumers give more priority on higher priced products, so its best to test various pricing levels of the products over time to find the right pricing combination that maximizes the profits. The examples of price decisions generally consists of Pricing strategy ,optional retail price, amount discounts and extensive pricing, Cash or early payment discounts, cyclic pricing, Price plasticity, Price unfairness etc. Place Another dimension of marketing mix is place. Its also known as channel, distribution, or intermediary. Its a process by which the goods or services are moved from the manufacturer to the consumer .the types of distribution decisions mainly include supply channels, Market coverage, particular channel members , stock management, Warehousing ,allocation centers , categorize processing , Transportation , Reverse logistics. Product A product is a tangible physical identity by which both buying and selling can be done. The examples of product may include Brand visibility, Functionality, Styling, superiority, security, wrapping, maintenance and sustain, Warranty, trimmings and services Levels of a Product. The Product Life Cycle (PLC) Source:google images 2010 The Customer Life Cycle which put emphasis on the delivery of lifetime value to the customer to retain them for the business. Promotion Last of the 4 p s is promotion. It represents various aspects of marketing communication, i.e., the information about the product to generate a positive customer response. Marketing communication mainly includes promotional strategies like push and pull , promotions ,Personal selling, Sales advertisements , Public relations, Marketing budget Source:http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-marketing-mix.html, accessed on 20th Dec 2010 Source:http://www.netmba.com/marketing/mix/,accessed on 20th Dec 2010 Implementation process Objective of NPD: The objective should run through a various process, while time launching is the crucial part than promotion pathways.. According to Ulrich and Eppinger, objective for budgets and finance have strong role to launch a new product in the market. (Ulrich T and Eppinger D 2004) Marketing concept and frame work process: Idea Generation: Every successful product need comprehensive ideas, so idea generation is the first and most important part of any new product launch in the market also known as Fuzzy front end. The company needs to analyze the SWOT to find its potential market and possible threats. Sometimes the idea of a new product generate with the opportunity analysis. (Koen et al. 2001) Idea Screening: is a concept which eliminates unsound objects. Companies need to find the existing market size and target market where they can get a picture about the product whether it could be profitable or not. Some questions should be asked in this process like as, is there any target market lies which could benefit from the product? (Keller P, 2008) Concept Development and Testing: is the framework where a product can be developing in the marketing and engineering details. Customer feedback is the most valuable part of a company where they assure about the future of the product which is going to be launch soon. (Koen et all, 2001) Business Analysis: A complete and flawless business strategy lies in various important implementations of marketing theories. For successful business strategy, need to estimate the selling price, which could base upon competition and consumer feedback, estimate the sales volume of the market size and it can be based on Fourt-Woodtlock equation tool and calculate the break-even point.( Smith G and Reinertsen G 1998)   Market Testing: After successful business planning, market testing is required to check the sustainability of the product. So build up a prototype of the proposed product, need to test the product packaging and checking the necessary adjustment where needed(Cooper G 1988) Technical Implementation: Few of the necessary steps should taken in this process likes as, set up a new program imitation, finalize the system of quality management, publish the estimate, need to produce the technical communication such as data sheets, draw the logistic plan and supplier collaboration, review the whole program and monitoring, keep an eye about the department scheduling. ( Koen et all, 2001) Promotion after new product development: A new or existing product launching process is going on through various promotional campaigns to reach the target customers. In that time, the product must launch in the market while need to fill the distribution pipeline with their recently launch product and promote their new product through advertisement. ( Prahalad Hammel, 2007) New Product Pricing: The last part of this framework is product pricing where the product can set up its launch on market. The financial team analyzes the internal and external value while they justify the impact and customer demand on the new product portfolio. (Aniston et all, 2001) Conclusion British Petroleum developed several oil fields and constructed refineries in different countries all over the world, including major interests in Alaskas Prudhoe Bay and in the north sea near United Kingdom, BP ,its subsidiaries and associated companies combine together to engage in the investigation, manufacture, refinement, shipping, and delivery of oil and natural gas and in the manufacture of chemicals, plastics, and synthetic fibers. It also operates expediency stores and filling stations through other brands like, Aral, ARCO, and am/pm.From the above factors we can analyze BP options are opened widely to overcome the oil spill cost. They can strengthen their financial resources from current drill oil and develop for new forces such as solar energy because for the new trends in the emerging market. Besides this, it will also boost up the companys reputation and reduce the environmental threats and pollution.